My guest on Thursday, March 27th at 3 p.m. PDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk will be artist Harriete Estel Berman, who joins us to discuss the critical topic of copycats and artistic piracy in the arts and craft communities.

About: The craft community is under assault by copycat thieves in the “Age of the Internet.” BAD and UGLY behaviors proliferate within the craft community. International pirates steal images and retail giants raid the craft marketplace for ideas. Naïve and enthusiasm cloak unethical behavior with "I love your work and want to make one for myself.” Do you recognize the problems? Recognize the behavior? Understand Fair Use? Need recommendations? Join this important and topical conversation with Jay Whaley and Harriete Estel Berman.

Supporting articles for this discussion (recommended reading before listening):

“The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY in the AGE of the Internet” "I love your work and want to make one for myself" Alibaba and the Copycat Thieves Alibaba Who? Alibaba Me? DMCA "Take Down" - Action & Advocacy Against Copycats

My Guest on Thursday, August 22nd at 3 p.m. PDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk is artist and writer Harriete Estel Berman, who returns to the show to discuss the crucial issue of "The GOOD, The BAD, and the UGLY in the Age of the Internet" and how that applies to fellow artists. About: The art and craft community has been impacted by the Internet and digital technologies. What are the ethical and legal issues surrounding tutorials, workshops, or sharing information that you did not write? What is the impact of the workshop imposter on the craft community? Has our “desire for attention” and “carelessness provided no one will notice” created an environment that prefers not to discuss difficult issues? Respecting intellectual property needs to part of the discussion for the healthy growth of crafts. To view Harriete's lecture on this topic prior to listening to the show (recommended), visit: http://www.slideshare.net/Harriete/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-in-the-age-of-the-internet. To view Harriete's RECOMMENDATIONS from The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY In The Age of The Internet, visit: http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2013/03/recommendations-from-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-in-the-age-of-the-internet.html. For more information on Harriete and her work, visit: http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info.

My Guests this Thursday, February 20th at 3 p.m. PST on MetalSmith BenchTalk will be artist Harriete Estel Berman and Betty Talbott, the Director of the Ohio Craft Museum and Artistic Director of the Ohio Designer Craftsmen.

They will be discussing the idea of “grassroots collections" and the upcoming program “Collectors, Collection and You” at the SNAG Professional Development Seminar. The 2014 SNAG conference Grains to Gold will be held in Minneapolis, MN in April 2014.

This interview is a preview of the PDS but the information will not be repeated at the Conference. This is a unique opportunity ONLY on Metalsmith Bench Talk.

Are you making your mark? What is the impact of the maker mark on value? Have you considered the importance of having your work in a collection? What about collections for your guild or academic institution.

You can count on the PSD to cover this from the ground up and give you lots of information that you can readily put into action the next day.

Our hot topics include:

How to establish value for your artwork; How exactly does the secondary market work; Facts about collecting metalwork within an academic setting or guild; What you can do to attract a collector's eye; and Essential background work all artists must take care of before attempting to place work into a museum collection.

For more info, visit http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/conferences/from-grains-to-gold/educational-opportunities/professional-development-seminar/.

Join us this Thursday, January 31st at 3 p.m. PST on MetalSmith BenchTalk for a VERY special episode, as artist, jeweler, sculptor, and author Harriete Estel Berman returns to the show for an in-depth conversation and tutorial on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for artists and crafts people. This is a topic pertinent to everyone with an online presence! About this episode: Become the webmaster of your own domain with Harriete Estel Berman. Artists, makers, and metalsmiths are under-utilizing the potential visibility of the internet for their work. There are many free tools that are available for evaluating and improving your website for SEO. Everyone can learn how with this easy to implement information. We will discuss 5 tips for improving your images for search; using Google+ to improve search results for your website and blog; using Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools to analyze and identify problems on your website you may not know about; and some easy to use ideas for 2.0 social networks. Artists and makers can increase the visibility of their website AND images with super easy to use tools that are as important as any saw or file in their studio. Harriete Estel Berman creates jewelry, sculpture, Judaica & installations from recycled materials and is the author of the Professional Guidelines. For more info, visit Harriete's blog at http://www.askharriete.typepad.com.

On the program today, I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Harriete Estel Berman, MFA, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and BFA, Syracuse University.

Berman has worked with recycled tin cans since 1988 creating jewelry to large sculptures.

Since 2001 she has been working on Professional Guidelines offering advice and professional standards to the arts community. The Professional Guidelines can be found on the SNAG web site at: http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/Publications/Professional_Guidelines/ and on Harriete Estel Berman’s web site listed below.

For more information check out Harriete's prolific website which is impressive to say the least: http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info. Please join us for what is likely to be a rich and fascinating experience with Harriete.

Join us this Thursday, January 5th at 3 p.m. PST on MetalSmith BenchTalk as one of our favorite past guests returns: it's artist, metalsmith, author, and teacher Harriete Estel Berman. Bio: Harriete Estel Berman uses post consumer, recycled materials to construct artwork ranging from jewelry and teacups to entire lawns and sculpture with social commentary. Sculptures include domestic appliances remarking on the roles of women, the influence of advertising and commentary about our consumer society. Berman's work has shown throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. Her work has been acquired for the permanent collections of 13 museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Recent exhibitions include a four person exhibition at the Loveland Museum, CO.2010 and a retrospective at the National Ornamental Metals Museum as a 'Master Metalsmith 2004'. Harriete is writing an ongoing series of Professional Guidelines for artists to promote understanding, checklists, and practical solutions for recurring issues in the art and craft community. Her blog ASK HARRIETE regularly offers professional advice to the art community. Ms. Berman has also organized the Professional Development Seminar with Andy Cooperman, Don Friedlich and Brigitte Martin prior to the SNAG conference for the last seven years. For more about Harriete, visit http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/

Tonight on Charred Remains author Donna Emerich will be Char's guest. She is a writer, grandmother, Motley Crue fan, and she has written a story called, "The Mountain" and is currently at work on the next installment of the series. She is funny and her great sense of humor shines through in her work and oh man, I can't wait to introduce you to her character Sally Jean in the second novel...that woman is a hoot. There is a unique charm to the family involved in "The Mountain", so tune in tonight to find out just what. Donna is also an artist and one of the reasons Charred Remains will not be cancelled.this year!

The fun starts at 6:30pm Pacific/8:30pm Central/9:30pm Eastern. If you have a question for the author or just want to call in and say hello, the phone lines will be open, so call (347) 324-5036. Also, if you log into the chat room, you can type a question or salutation and Char will read it on the air.

Sculptures include domestic appliances remarking on the roles of women, the influence of advertising and commentary about our consumer society.

Berman's work has shown throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. Her work has been acquired for the permanent collections of 13 museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

For more information check out Harriete's prolific website: http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info.

This Thursday, May 16 at 3 p.m. PDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk we'll be airing one of our favorite past episodes from the archives with Harriete Estel Berman, Andy Cooperman, and Brigitte Martin. They discuss the Professional Development Seminar at Meta-Mosaic, the 2013 SNAG conference taking place this week in Toronto, Canada. About: This year's theme is: SACRED COW, PURPLE COW, CASH COW. The sacred cows of craft marketing and design are lame and beginning to stumble. From gallery to studio sale, exhibition space to craft show, the audiences for contemporary craft aren’t responding to old-school notions of display and marketing. They are looking for an entirely different buying experience. We need to re-energize and reconnect to our existing markets and access new ones. We need to find a more innovative approach to display and an interactive marketing model that offers the experience of craft. We need to use smarter advertising and build visibility in new and unexpected places. Our websites need to function across the spectrum from desktops to smart phones, tablets, and televisions. We need to become the purple cow, the one that is unexpected and stands out from the herd – the cow that people notice. The idea of the purple cow was set forth by the marketing entrepreneur Seth Godin. Speakers include: Lara Bazant, Natasha Granastein, Justin D. Hartzman, Rachel Timmins, and Colleen from Clockwork Zero. For more info, visit: http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/conferences/meta-mosaic/programming/professional-development-seminar/.

My Guests this Thursday, March 21st at 3 p.m. PDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk will be Harriete Estel Berman, Andy Cooperman, and Brigitte Martin. They will discuss the Professional Development Seminar at Meta-Mosaic, the 2013 SNAG conference in Toronto, Canada upcoming in May. About: This year's theme is: SACRED COW, PURPLE COW, CASH COW. The sacred cows of craft marketing and design are lame and beginning to stumble. From gallery to studio sale, exhibition space to craft show, the audiences for contemporary craft aren’t responding to old-school notions of display and marketing. They are looking for an entirely different buying experience. We need to re-energize and reconnect to our existing markets and access new ones. We need to find a more innovative approach to display and an interactive marketing model that offers the experience of craft. We need to use smarter advertising and build visibility in new and unexpected places. Our websites need to function across the spectrum from desktops to smart phones, tablets, and televisions. We need to become the purple cow, the one that is unexpected and stands out from the herd – the cow that people notice. The idea of the purple cow was set forth by the marketing entrepreneur Seth Godin. Speakers include: Lara Bazant, Natasha Granastein, Justin D. Hartzman, Rachel Timmins, and Colleen from Clockwork Zero. For more info, visit: http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/conferences/meta-mosaic/programming/professional-development-seminar/.

My guests this Thursday, August 9th at 3 p.m. PDT/6EDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk are Harriete Estel Berman and French Thompson, who will discuss "The Ins and Outs of Shipping" for artists and makers. Ms. Berman was among a team of artist who presented the topic at this year's SNAG Professional Development Seminar in Scottsdale, AZ and on our show, they'll be distilling that information into a solid hour of shipping tips and tricks About this year's SNAG PSD: Shipping artwork from point A to point B should be a pretty straight-forward proposition, but if you have ever shipped a fragile, valuable, large or small object, you know that getting it there can sometimes be like trying to sift through a bucket of eels. There are many shippers, many methods, and finding the right answers can be slippery work. About Harriete: Harriete Estel Berman uses post consumer, recycled materials to construct artwork ranging from jewelry and teacups to entire lawns and sculpture with social commentary. Sculptures include domestic appliances remarking on the roles of women, the influence of advertising and commentary about our consumer society. About French: French Thompson walked into the Denver Art Museum an English major and left an aspiring metalsmith. From that personal epiphany has grown an experiential gallery on the Main Street of Old Scottsdale. For more info, visit http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/profguidelines/ProfDevSeminar.html or www.frenchonmain.com.